Eaves-trough support



(No-Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W! R. WILOOX, Eaves Trough Supports.

No. 235,111. Patented Dec. 7,1880.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-SheetQ.

W. R. WILOOX. Eaves Trough Supports.

Patenfed Dec. 7,1880.

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(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. W. R. WILOOX.

EavesTrough Supports. No. 235,111, Ijgtented Dec. 7,1880.

UNHED States PATENT @rrren.

WILLIAM R. W'ILOOX, OF NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

EAVES-TROUGH SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,111, dated December '7, 1880.

Application filed August 12, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. \VILGOX, of Nashua, in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hangers for Supporting Eaves-Troughs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in a certain novel construction and combination of parts, whereby all the necessary adjustments of the trough may be secured in the simplest possible manv ner, while at the same time a strong, substantia], and elegant support is provided, capable of being used for troughs of diii'erent sizes; also, in several details of construction, all of which will be described in the specification, and then clearly defined and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this application, Figure l is a side elevation, showing the hanger attached to a bevel or ogee finish. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, showing the hanger attached to a square finish. Fig. lis a modification adapted for use upon tin roofs. Fig. 5 is a modification. Fig. 6 is a modification of the device shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a modified form of hanger to be attached to square finish without a supporting-hanger. Fig. Sis alnodification of the device shown in Fig. 4. Figs. 9 and 10 each show an elevation and a central cross-section of the joint for connecting the adjustable parts of the device.

In attaching troughs to buildings regard must be paid to the peculiar style of finish adopted by the architect in the construction of the building. The styles ordinarily used are termed square finish, in which a plain vertical strip of wood a few inches in width is set just below the eaves, or two such strips with an offset between; bevel finish, in which a strip inclined at an angle of about forty-five degrees is set between two perpendicular plain surfaces; and ogee finish, where a molding cut upon an ogee curve is substituted for the inclined strip -used in bevel finish. The two styles last named are sometimes both included in the single term bevel finish.

In setting the trough the hangers are usually attached to the finish, and as the trough must be inclined about one inch in every twenty feet or more, in order that it may carry off the water freely, the problem is presented of obtaining this inclination without setting the brackets in different horizontal planes; or, in other words, it is desirable to give a certain drop to the trough without dropping the supporting-brackets, which should all be set in the finish and in the same part of the finish. Again, after the hangers are attached to the roof, the trough (which is made in sections each six to twelve feet in length) is placed therein before the several sections are soldered together. It is desirable to solder these sections without removing them from the hangers, and as it is necessary to turn the trough over, this has hitherto been a work of great difficulty, owing to the peculiar manner in which the trough fits the hanger and the close proximity of the latter to certain styles of finish. Furthermore, as many buildings are now constructed wit-h metal roots or with a roofing that makes it desirable to hang the trough from the top of the roof, it becomes necessary to so construct the bracket that the point where it is attached may be sealed to preventleakage. Finally, in attaching troughs -to different kinds of buildings a very wide range of adjustment is rendered necessary by the great variety of ornament and the difference in the arrangement and proportions of the several parts of the same building.

The great object of my invention is to enable a builder to use the same bracket and hook upon all kinds of finish, which will obviate the difficulties I have mentioned, and to provide a device capable of all the necessary adjustments and adapted for use under the widest possible range of circumstances.

A in the drawings indicates the trough hook or hanger, which prior to my invention was usually cast in one piece, with an open loop, a, on the outer arm and a hook, to, on theinner arm, the plain edge of the trough bein g held by the hook a, the roll formed upon the opposite edge being sprung into the loop a. In my invention 1 substitute a disk, I), for the hook at, said disk being cast with the hook A and provided-with a central countersunk perforation. Arranged in a circle concentric with said perforation, a series of small hemispherical depressions or cavities,-c c c 0,1s

formed, adapted to engage with a corresponding series of beads or small nipples cast upon the bracket to which the hook A is attached, the beads or nipples upon the former fitting in the depressions 0 in the latter, and a bolt with a thumb-nut on its end passing through the perforation in the disk I) and through a similar perforation in the bracket, whereby the two are held together and a strong joint produced. The disk 7) answers all the purposes of the hook a, (shown in Fig. 5,) and in addition it affords one means of attaching the trough hook or hanger A to its supportingbracket.

One of the first objects to be secured in sus pending a trough is to get the necessary drop,

readily.

the bracket upon it.

or, in other words, to give the trough such an inclination that it will carry the water off I have already mentioned that it is desirable, and especially so in some kinds of .finish, to set the brackets in the same part of the finish from one end of the line of trough to the other. ,stood by an examination of Figs. 1 and2. Here the first bracket, D, is set in the concave of the ogee curve.

This fact may be readily under- Now, it is evident that the next bracket, if located in a horizontal plane one inch below the first, would stand at a very different angle with the finish, and would therefore throw the hook out from the finish at an entirely different angle and distance. I secure the drop, therefore, in the following manner:

I) in the drawings is a bracket cast in one piece, and having a screw, (Z, which maybe cast solid with the bracket, although I prefer to make said screw of wrought-iron and cast Theform of the bracket is that shown in the drawings, widening rapidly from the end toward the middle portion. It is provided with four countersunk perforations, three of which, a, f, and g, are located in very nearly a straight line, drawn at an angle of about forty-five degrees with the prolonged axis of the screw (1. The fourth perforation, which is shown as occupied by the screw or bolt h, is placed above and between the second and third perforations, f and 9. Around each of these perforations and concentric therewith is formed a series of hemispherical depressions, c 0, upon one face or side of thebracket, similarin all respects to those describedin connection with the hook A, and upon the other face or side of the bracket is formed aseries of beads or small nipples around and concentric with each of the four perforations.

A similar series of beads upon one side and depressions upon the other side is formed upon the disk I) of the hook A, as shown in Fig. 6, the several circles in which said beads and depressions are arranged being all described with the same radius and with the center of A ration in the disk and bracket, and a thumbnut, E, is placed upon the threaded end of the bolt h. By turning this nut up the disk 1) upon the hanger A is firmly clamped against the flat surface of the bra-cketD, and the beads or nipples upon the one entering the depressions in the other, a very firm and strong joint is made. The manner in which these beads and depressions may be formed is clearly shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

The bracket 1), formed as described, is set in the finish, the screw being inserted near the center of the concave of the ogee, where it will make an angle with the horizontal of about thirty or forty degrees. The bracket is set firmly up against the finish, and is placed with the longest straight side uppermost and its elbow or angle below. In this position it will be seen that the perforation occupied by the connecting-bolt h is in the same vertical line with the perforation g. The first troughhangerof the series is connected to the bracket in the manner shown in Fig. l, the bolt being placed in the upper of the two perforations in the bracket. The second bracketbeing setin the same part of the finish, the necessary drop or inclination is obtained by merely connecting the second trough-hook to the lower of the two perforations, which, as already described, is in the same vertical line a: :20. For the first length of trough, therefore, a drop is obtained equal to the distance between these two perforations, which is not far from half an inch. The third bracket is also set in the same line of the finish; but instead of being placed with its long side uppermost, as in Fig. 1, it is turned half a revolution farther until its angular edgeis uppermost, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 1. In this position the two perforations and f both fall in the vertical line 00 w. This allows the hanger upon the third bracket to be attached to the perforation f, giving a second drop to the trough equal to the first. Finally, when the fourth bracket is attached to the finish and placed in the same position as the third, the hanger may be attached by means of the perforation e, which gives a third drop equal to the second. In this manner, by simply reversing the position of the bracket, I bring all four of its perforations, efg h,into the same vertical line 00 0c, and thereby obtain three successive drops for the trough hook. The great advantage of this mode of accomplishing the described result is, that besides the great simplicity and economy of the device, which may be used on either ogee or bevel finish, the trough is at every point projected from the building the same distance, which would be substantiallyimpossible with any bracket adapted to be attached to the finish at different points or in difierent horizontal planes.

The bracket D will answer for all ordinary buildings; but in cases where a large number of brackets are to be used to support along and continuous run of trough the bracket D alone may not afford the necessary drop or inclination of the trough. In such a case the modified form shown in Fig. 2 may be used. In this device the trough-hook and the bracket are both similar to the corresponding parts shown in Fi 1; but between them I insert an auxiliary piece or arm, D, having some resemblance to a bell-crank in its shape. The short arm is provided with holes arranged like the perforations efg h in the bracket D, and the long arm (1 has a single perforation near its end, beads being formed on one side and depressions upon the other side of the arm around each perforation, in the manner already described in connection with the bracket D. The bracket D being set in the finish in the manner already described, the long arm (1 is bolted to it, the bolt being placed in the upper of the two perforations g h of the bracket D. The arm d is then turned upon the bolt until it is nearly parallel with the axis of the screw (7, and the thumb-nut on the connecting-bolt is tightened. \Vhen in this position the two perforations 3 and 4 in the arm D will both lie in the vertical line 00 a. (See Fig. 2.) The trough-hook A may be hung from the upper one of these two perforationsviz., the one indicated by the figure 4 in the drawings.

The book upon the second bracket may be attached by a bolt passing through the perforation directly below, (numbered 3 in the drawings.) WVhen the third bracket is put up, the arm D is attached and is turned into the position shown by broken lines D thereby bringing perforation numbered 2 into the vertical line a or, and at the same distance below number 3 that number 3 is below number 4. Upon the fourth bracket the arm D is again dropped into the position shown by broken lines D thereby bringing perforation numbered 1 into the vertical line This gives three successive drops for the trough. For the fourth drop the pivot-bolt h and the arm D are simply shifted to the perforation g in the bracket 1). For the fifth drop'the bracket D may be reversed or turned into the position shown in broken lines D in Fig. 1, and when in this position the bolt 72. may be placed in the perforation For the sixth drop the bolt is placed in the last perforation c. It must be remembered that these adjustments relate to a series of supports consisting of seven separate brackets and hangers, set at intervals of from six to twelve feet apart, the first being arranged as shown in continuous lines at D, Fig. 2, the second arranged as shown in broken lines at D the third as shown in broken lines at D 850.

The bracket D and the arm D may, if desired, be used with square finish, as well as in a bevel or an ogee finish; but in such case the bracketD cannot be reversed in the manner shown in Fig. 1. Moreover, the arm D may be used if it is turned over, as shown in Fig. 3. When in this position, by simply swinging the arm upon the pivot-bolt h, the perforations 1, 2, 3, and 4 may be successively broughtinto the same perpendicular, y 3 each one falling about one-half of an inch below the preceding one. The required inclination of the trough may also be obtained in other ways.

In some instances a different method may be desirable, and in one class of roofs it is necessary to adopt a different construction. This occurs in the case of a tin roof, where a top bracket is used to support the hanger. This form is illustrated in Fig. 4. The bracket is cast in a single piece or plate, F, having a series of perforations, as shown. At one end of the plate is formed an arch, f, from the central point of which springs an attaching-screw, d. This screw is inserted into the roof through the metal roofing G, and by means of the arch f the workman can readily have access to the point where the screw enters to surround it with soldert' c', whereby a perfectly-tight joint is made and all danger of leakage is avoided.

The tron gh-hookA is attached to an adjustable plate. H,whieh has a series of perforations, 1 2 3 4, c. At or near its lower end this plate H. has an offset, 71/, terminating in a short piece, h provided with one or more perforations arranged parallel with those in the part H. This plateis bolted to the bracket F by screw-bolt and thumb-nut, and the hook A is attached to its lower end in a similar manner. The offset h brings the trough into proper position to receive the drip from the roof.

It is evident that any required inclination may be given to the trough by simply attaching the piece H to the bracket F by means of the difi'erent perforations in the former.

For ordinary square finish a very simple form of bracket may be used. (Shownin Fig. 5.) This consists of a horizontal bar, I, having an elbow, 11. This bar may be attached to the finish in either of the two positions shown in said figure, one position being illustrated by continuous lines and the other by broken lines. A second upright bar is mounted upon the horizontal bar, and to this the trough hook or hanger is connected by means of ajoint, U, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) formed upon the middle and under side. The bar I is provided with a series of holes, and depressions c c c are formed around each of these said perforations; but instead of being arranged in a circle concentric with each perforation, as in the forms I have already described, they are placed in arcs of circles having a comparatively large radius. The upright bar K is provided on each edge with serrations or projections l l, and upon the face of each is cast one or more small beads, which engage with the depressions c c. The upright K, which may be of .any length, has a series of perforations formed therein for attaching the bar K thereto, said perforations being from one-half an inch to an inch apart.

Still another construction is 'shown in Fig. 6, consisting of short links attached to each other by a bead-and-socket joint, (the principle of which is illustrated in Fig. 9,) andbolted to a bracket, M. By simply loosening one or all of the thumb screws which unite the joints, the hook A may be placed in any position whatever, and by tightening the thumb-nuts it will be firmly held in that position.

The eaves-trough is usually made in lengths or sections ofabout six to twelve feet in length. When the trough is put up these sections are soldered together. not done until the trough hooks are put up and the several trough-sections laid in them. This is done to ascertain how many lengths are needed, and also because it is extremely difficult to raise a very long trough made of thin metal to the required height and fit it to the hooks without jamming or bending the tin. In order to accomplish the soldering of the joints the trough must be turned over, and to do this the roll of the trough must obviously be sprung out of the loops to. In order to effect this quickly and conveniently and without any danger of bending the trough, I have devised a hinged trough-hook. (Shown in Fig. 5.) The arm A of the hook may be-cast solid with the upright K, and the other arm, A, being cast separately, is attached by a bolt and bead-and-socket joint similar to that already described. By loosening the thumbnut on the connecting-bolt the arm A may be turned into the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 5, thereby permitting the trough to be turned over and soldered,or even to be wholly removed, with great ease.

I n this connection I may remark that it is often desirable to use, even upon the same building, troughs of different sizes. Thesizes ordinarily used are the three-inch and fourinch troughsthat is, the said trough being three or four inches in diameter. This difference in diameter makes it desirable to have What may be called an extension -hook. Such a device is shown in Fig. 3. Upon one arm, B, of said hook is cast an extension, N, which follows nearly the curve of the arm B. This extension is provided with perforations, l 2, 850., each being surrounded with beads or sockets similar to those shown in Fig. 9. The other arm, B, is cast separately, and has a disk at its lower end provided with the beadand-socket joint, to adapt it to engage with the extension N. By separating the arms B and B on the extension N the two different sizes of trough may be used with the same hook, the three inch trough being held when the parts are in the position shown in said Fig. 3-, while the four-inch trough, may be used by placing the arm B at the extreme end of the extension N and connecting it to the perforation numbered 1.

Instead of the top bracket, F, shown in Fig. 4, I may employ the bar shown in Fig.8, which in substantial points resembles it. The principal diiference is, that instead of the arch f, (seen in Fig. 4,) the bar is spread or flattened at f f 2 and perforated. to receive the screw. By this construction solder may be applied in Usually this soldering is the same manner as in Fig. 4. I may also substitute in place of either of these forms the linked support shown in Fig. 6, the bracket M being screwed into the roof. The links L L being allowed to project and hang down from the edge of the roof, and being attached to the joint at the top of the trough-hook, as in Fig. 4, furnish a support having all the adjustments of either of the other top brackets mentioned. Finally, by simply adding an attaching-plate at right angles to the joint or disk I) at the top of the trough-hook A, it may be used in certain places with great convenience without any attaching-bracket. This construction is shown in Fig. 7. The troughhook A is made like that shown in Fig. 4, with the disk b, having a bead-aud-socket joint, and a plain attaching-plate, 11 is cast on the hook at the side of and at right angles with the disk b. The plate 12 has a single screw-hole cut therein to receive the screw 0?, whereby the hook may be applied directly to the finish, as shown. This form of support is particularly adapted to octagon bay-windows with a narrow tin drip.

The special modifications shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 I have described in connection with this application, as they are all capable of use in combination either with the reversible bracket or with the peculiar form of troughhook which I claim. These modifications specified do not, however, form part of the matter claimed by mein this case, as they are reserved for a second application, which I am about to file. So far as this case is concerned, therefore, l disclaim said devices in favor of said second application, which is now in course of preparation and will be filed immediately.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. An eaves-trough hanger and supportingbracket, both constructed and combined in the manner set forth, to wit: a solid hook having an attaching-disk at one end and a bracket provided with a series of perforations arranged in two converging lines, whereby the hook may have vertical adjustment whether the bracket be in its normal position or reversed.

2. The combination ,with a reversible bracket, of a reversible arm adapted to be pivotally attached to said bracket, both arm and bracket being provided with perforations, which may be brought into the same perpendicular line with equal intervals between, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In an eaves-trough support, a pivot-joint between the trough-hook and the supportingbracket, consisting of sockets upon the one and beads or nipples adapted to fit said sockets upon the other, said beads and sockets being arranged in a circle concentric with the perforation in each which receives the connecting screw or bolt, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4- Atrough-hook castin a single piece, composed of a semicircular portion, A, having an a series of beads or sockets, c c a, concentric open loop, a, and provided with an attachingwith said perforations, substantially as and piece, 0, at the center of the part A, and a for the purpose set forth.

second similar attaching-disk, b, at one ex- IntestimonywhereofIhave signed myname I 5 tremity of the part A, each disk being perfoto this specification in the presence of two subrated and having a series of beads, c c 0, conscribing Witnesses.

centric with said perforation, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. WILLIAM WILOOX' 5. A bracket, D, for eaves-trough hangers,

provided with attaching-perforations e fg h,

arranged as set forth, and each surrounded by Witnesses O. W. BURNHAM, L. L. TILDEN. 

